It's a chance to find the groove Kleibrink and Co. had at the Olympic trials they won at Halifax in December.

Certainly not like this month's Bern Damencup, a bonspiel in Switzerland at which they finished 3-3. But don't look at the scores, even though they beat Russian Olympic entry Liudmila Privivkova 7-2.

"On paper," said Nixon, "a lot of people look at the results and say, ooh, we didn't do so well. I can see that. But I feel really good about it, about the opportunity to see those teams and the opportunity for our coach and our fifth to scout those teams. Be in that environment, deal with the jet lag and feel like we know what we're doing."

And they studied European curling and the culture of the sport.

Right away, Kleibrink noticed the ice sheets are a foot wider than Canada's.

"They tend to use the corner guards more than we do," the 37-year-old skip said.

"We always wondered why they did that when they came to Canada but it's because they have more room. And no, we won't make it part of our repertoire."

Then there were the high-fives.

Keshen admitted she was a little unnerved at first when their opponents would tag hands on missed shots.

"We respect our competitors and we would never do that," the 27-year-old said. "But other countries are different and you have to respect the way they treat the competition."

Of course, the respect goes both ways. Most teams anticipate the opportunity to play the Canadians, often considered the heavyweights of curling.

Despite this, Kleibrink would never underestimate the competition, no matter whether it's a bonspiel or the Olympics.

"This is the same as going to the trials," she said. "People ask, 'What are your chances?' We say there are 10 teams, so one in 10.

"Some countries may not have as deep a field but they are sending their best."

And then she looked up, grinning, and said: "But I wouldn't put us last."